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The Los Angeles Lakers have an interest in signing former No. 1 pick Markelle Fultz, according to Anthony Irwin of Clutchpoints.
“Per sources, the Lakers have had internal conversations about Fultz, the former first-overall pick who hasn’t lived up to his draft position but was solid last season playing for the Orlando Magic,” Irwin wrote.
Fultz remains in the free agent market after his three-year, $50 million rookie extension contract with the Magic expired. But the Lakers cannot sign him outright as their roster is currently full. The only way they can sign him is if they trade out more players than they receive to open up a roster spot.
The 26-year-old Fultz averaged 7.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.0 steals in 43 games, including 18 starts, for the Magic last season. However, his outside shot remains his biggest weakness as he struggled on a 22.2% 3-point clip.
Irwin noted that if the Lakers sign Fultz, he would likely step into Gabe Vincent‘s role as backup point guard. The Vincent signing hasn’t panned out for the Lakers. The former Miami Heat guard is averaging just 3.9 points in 19.2 minutes off the bench on a 27.7% 3-point shooting. He’s not offering production elsewhere with 1.1 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game.
Fultz, who boasts a 6-foot-9 wingspan, offers more athleticism and playmaking and a much better defense than Vincent and D’Angelo Russell from the point of attack.
Picked ahead of All-Stars Jayson Tatum, De’Aaron Fox, Donovan Mitchell, Lauri Markkanen and Bam Adebayo, Fultz fell from grace as the top prospect of the 2017 Draft Class was shrouded with a mysterious shoulder injury that hampered his jump shot.
The Lakers, however, are desperate to arrest their alarming slide following their strong 10-4 start. Their 97-87 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday, December 14, marked their eighth in their last 11 games.
Snoop Dogg Puts Lakers On Notice
Lakers super fan and multi-awarded rapper, actor and producer Snoop Dogg urged team owner Jeanie Buss and vice president-general manager Rob Pelinka to make a move or there would be upheaval from fans.
“I think that we need to make some changes, man, like we brought back the exact same team from last year,” Snoop Dogg, a Lakers super fan, said on ESPN’s “First Take” on December 13. “No disrespect, but that ain’t gonna cut it. We need to make some moves and move some people.”
The Lakers have not made a significant trade since ending the failed Russell Westbrook experiment in February 2023, which brought Russell and Jarred Vanderbilt to the Lakers fold and another trade to bring Rui Hachimura for multiple second-round picks.
“Make some adjustments,” Snoop Dogg continued. “Like Jeannie [Buss], Rob [Pelinka], Hello, where you at? What are you doing? Come on, man, make some moves, some adjustments.
“There’s some people out there that we can have on our squad, and you just gotta make the decision that it’s time to make that move because, as Laker fans, y’all are on the clock.”
Top Priorities: Point Guard and Big Man
A point guard and big man is high on the Lakers’ list of priorities heading into the February 6 trade deadline, according to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps.
“The Lakers remain armed with D’Angelo Russell’s $18.6 million expiring contract, plus several more minimum players on expiring deals, as well as their 2029 and 2031 first-round picks, but it’s going to be difficult for one trade to fix the myriad issues with the current roster. That has led to a belief among rival scouts and executives that the Lakers would love to find both a point guard and a big man to fill out their roster — though adding both, with the team’s limited assets, won’t be easy,” Bontemps wrote.
Aside from Fultz, another available point guard in the trade market is former Laker Dennis Schröder, who is enjoying a career season with the rebuilding Brooklyn Nets. On the big men’s front, the Lakers continued to be linked to Washington Wizards’ Jonas Valanciunas, while former All-Star center Nikola Vučević of the Chicago Bulls has also emerged as a trade option.
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Lakers Eye Former No. 1 Pick as Gabe Vincent Replacement: Report